Hoses (Radiator, Heater): Rubber vs Silicone

Post by **cn90** » 16 Dec 2015, 13:59

At the risk of being crucified by the silicone gurus, I will ask a dumb question...

- The factory OEM radiator hoses, heater hoses last some 14-15y/150K, so to me replacing with OEM hoses makes sense. Plus I don't ever keep any car beyond 300K miles, I only replace the rad and heater hoses once in the life of the car.

- I notice some members here use Blue or Red Silicone hoses, which look sexy to me. The real question is: what is the lifespan of these silicone hoses, how many years/miles? What is the cost involved?

Sorry I am not (yet) a silicone fan, but maybe one day I will be...

Post by **tryingbe** » 16 Dec 2015, 14:14

I'm hoping my silicone radiator hoses will out last the car. Silicone is oil resistant and don't deteriorate like rubber when have contact with oil.

Post by **xHeart** » 16 Dec 2015, 14:31

tryingbe wrote:I'm hoping my silicone radiator hoses will out last the car. Silicone is oil resistant and don't deteriorate like rubber when have contact with oil.

..but that is radiator hose, no oil there!?

Post by **tryingbe** » 16 Dec 2015, 14:41

The lower radiator could come in contact with oil or ATF quite easily.

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 16 Dec 2015, 14:43

There's always oil... it's an engine bay.

More to the point; silicone is more resistant to both heat, pressure, oil and temperature changes than rubber. The OEM hoses on the Volvos I've had have all still been intact, but most of them have been going soft and have in some cases failed.

Where I am, a full set of Volvo intake/IC hoses won't be any cheaper than silicone, and calculating in the added strengths, there's no question in my mind when needing new hoses.

TLDR; Never seen failed silicone hoses on stock setup. Have seen failed rubber hoses on stock setup.

- S

Post by **RussB** » 16 Dec 2015, 15:51

Silicone hoses come in pretty colors. That's why I like them. When I replaced the turbo hoses, silicone was cheaper than factory hoses. I like that too!

Post by **FLXC90** » 16 Dec 2015, 17:08

+1 to mostly for appearance on radiator hoses. Good call on lower rad hose, I just replaced upper hose on my daughter's Kia for a Thanksgiving trip because the cam sensor leaks oil (all that's left for stage 1 there). So configuration and surrounding components can suggest "upgrading"

Charge air hoses it becomes functional, because all our turbos pass some oil. My XC90 T6's Intercooler hose looks like a python that ate a cow, (on schedule for this weekend) but I already have an OEM hose.

The T5 will receive silicone as I can afford to go through it, (aka, as kids move out!) . And POS70 Cost-Benefit Analysis doesn't justify it.

Post by **tryingbe** » 16 Dec 2015, 18:47

I had good luck with MOFE. If you don't want the samco logo, you'll have to ask them not to put it on. You can only use 4 hoses out the set, the rest is useless. I think they also do custom color, you'll have to ask them.

Black
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original ... eb201560_3

Blue
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Blue-9PC ... 8.4.WsyhA9

Red
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original ... 8.8.WsyhA9

Yellow
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/9PCS-Ori ... eb201560_3

Purple
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/8-Colors ... .51.WsyhA9

If you want higher quality, there is always do88

http://www.eeuroparts.com/Cars/Volvo/18 ... ormance/1/

Post by **RussB** » 16 Dec 2015, 21:50

tryingbe wrote:I had good luck with MOFE. If you don't want the samco logo, you'll have to ask them not to put it on. You can only use 4 hoses out the set, the rest is useless. I think they also do custom color, you'll have to ask them.

That is quite cheap. How long have you been running them? Any fitment issues?

Post by **j-dawg** » 16 Dec 2015, 22:28

Maybe it's just sour grapes - I wasn't aware of the silicone hoses until right after I'd dropped a hunnid something smackers on the OEM hoses - but I think the EPDM hoses look better. The silicone is a bit shiny in an engine bay filled with matte colors. It stands out. I have the Snabb intake pipe from a previous owner and I wish it had come in more muted colors than chrome and bright blue. I like things to match, even if they're not stock.

One man's opinion.